Beethovens piano concertos represent the climax of the Classical concerto, but also functioned as models for the Romantic composers.
In the first three (of which No.1 actually followed No.2 in order of composition) the spirits of Mozart and Haydn are very much present: for example, the C minor concerto is clearly modelled on Mozarts concerto K. 491 in the same key, which Beethoven played in concerts. At the same time, Beethoven gives a lot more importance to the orchestra than his predecessors, to the extent that in the last two concertos one could almost speak of symphonies with piano obbligato. Among many important inventions is the built-in cadenza (5th concerto), incorporated into the main body of the movement instead of being extemporised by the performer.
